Trolley base



Patented June 22, 1937 UNITED STATES 4 Claims.

My invention relates to trolley bases and particularly to trolley bases used in connection with trackless trolleys, where two trolley poles are used and these poles have a wide lateral swing.

5 When the trolley leaves the wire at a time when the pole is a considerable distance out at the side, and a retriever pulls it down the side pull of the trolley rope swings the pole violently towards the center of the car. The pole will start towards the center of the car immediately upon leaving the wire and this will retard the action of the retriever, and when the retriever is thrown into action the pole is swung violently towards the center of the car and frequently strikes the rope of the other pole, causing it to leave its wire, making it necessary for the operator to restore both poles to the wire.

The object of my invention is to provide a means for automatically and effectively retarding the side swing of the pole as soon as it leaves the wire. ,In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a plan view, with certain parts omitted, of the preferred form of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation and Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1. The reference numerals are used in the same sense in the drawing and specification.

Numeral l is a support adapted to be bolted to the roof of the vehicle. It is provided with the central pin 2, on which is pivotally mounted the turret 3, and it is provided with horizontal pivots 4 for the trolley pole holding means, the pivots 5 for the springs 6 which press the pole upward in the usual manner. The support is provided with a cylindrical recess 1 and the turret 3 is provided with a flange 8, which covers said recess. Said flange has pivots 9, on which are mounted the brake members Ill. Secured to the under side of the flange 8 is the hydraulic cylinder ll having pistons therein connected with I brake members or shoes In. The cylinder H is connected by a flexible tube l2 with the cylinder l3. The cylinder [3 is secured to the lower side of the pole-holding member l4, and the piston in said cylinder 13 is connected by the rod [5 with the bell crank 5.. The cylinder I3 is connected by the pipe 11 with the supply chamber l8. The bell crank l6 has a yoke l9 connected to it and said yoke is adapted to be secured to the trolley rope. A spring 20, having one end secured to the bracket 2! and the other end to the piston 22 in the cylinder l3, tends to withdraw the piston 22 from the cylinder l3. The

spring 20 has strength sufiicient to overcome the PATENT OFFICE normal pull of the trolley rope when the trolley is on the wire. This pull is only that given by the weak spring in the retriever which takes in the slack rope, generally from four to six pounds as is well understood in the art. When the trolley 5 first leaves the wire, the rope which is connected with the retriever will be given a strong pull, approximately equal to the normal pressure of the trolley against the wire, about thirty pounds. This pull will be sufficient to overcome 10 the spring 20 and apply pressure to the brake shoes l0, and press them out against the cylindrical rim 23.

In a fraction of a second after the trolley leaves the wire and starts upward the strong retrieving spring of the retriever will be put into operation, and this will put a pull of from sixty to eighty pounds on the rope, and produce a much greater braking action by the shoes Ill. As the pole descends this braking action will decrease and permit the pole to swing gently back to its central position.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In a trolley base the combination with a support adapted to be secured to the roof of a vehicle, of a turret pivotally mounted on said support, a trolley pole, a pivoted connection for the trolley pole on said turret, a trolley rope, means on said pole connected with the trolley rope and means operated by a pull on the trolley rope above a predetermined limit to retard the turning of said turret towards its central position when said pole has left its wire at the side of its central position.

2. In a trolley base the combination with a support, a brake drum formed thereon, a turret pivotally mounted on said support, brake shoes adapted to engage said drum mounted on said turret, an hydraulic cylinder, pistons therein adapted to operate said brake shoes, a trolley pole holding member pivotally connected with said turret, a pressure cylinder mounted on said pole holding member, and a flexible tubular connection between said pressure cylinder and said hydraulic cylinder secured to said turret.

3. In a trolley base a combination with a support and a rotatable turret on said support, of a pole pivotally connected with said turret for vertical movement, friction clutch members 0peratively mounted on said turret adapted to engage a friction drum formed on said base, a clutch operating lever pivotally mounted on said pole near its free end adapted to be secured to the upper end of trolley rope, connections between said lever and said clutch members whereby a pull on the rope above a predetermined limit operates said clutch member.

4. In a trolley base a combination with a support adapted to be secured to the roof of a vehicle, of a turret rotatably mounted on said support, a trolley pole, a pivotal connection for the trolley pole onf said turret, a trolley rope connecting means on said pole, means operated by a pull above a predetermined limit on the trolley rope to retard the turning of said turret including means whereby said turret is free to turn when the pull on the rope is below a predetermined limit.

CHARLES I. EARLL. 

